ProMPT (Prostate Cancer: Mechanisms of Progression and Treatment)

A team of prostate cancer researchers is actively shaping UK health policy on screening, treatment quality, and patient services. This matters because prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, yet debates continue over how best to detect it, who should be treated and how, and what constitutes high-quality care. The researchers bring clinical and scientific expertise directly into policy discussions with the Department of Health, funding bodies, and national charities. They also communicate through the media on topical issues and work with patient groups to ensure men’s voices inform decisions. If this work succeeds, it could lead to more effective screening programmes that reduce overdiagnosis, better-defined standards for surgery and radiotherapy, and improved patient pathways. These changes would affect the daily experience of thousands of men diagnosed each year—shifting how the NHS configures services, how biopsies are performed, and how treatment outcomes are monitored. The project is applied and policy-facing: its impact is measured not in laboratory breakthroughs but in tangible improvements to the healthcare system that men with prostate cancer rely on.